Appointing a President for EMEA to lead Pentland Brands’ next phase of growth

Finding a regional leader who could deliver growth across a complex portfolio without losing sight of culture, collaboration or the realities of a global matrix.

Pentland Brands operates across multiple brands, markets and business models. The new President would need to lead owned, partner-managed and distributor-led markets while navigating wholesale, digital marketplaces, pure-play digital and owned e-commerce channels.

The brief therefore went well beyond finding an accomplished commercial operator. The business needed someone with the judgement and executive presence to operate as part of the wider leadership team, while taking ownership of profitable growth across the region.

Just as importantly, the appointment needed to complement the culture and dynamics of the existing executive team. The right leader would need to influence across a complex global organization, build trust quickly and bring people with them through change.

Starting with the business, the executive team and the next phase of growth, not simply the job description.

Essenta worked closely with Pentland Brands’ CEO and executive stakeholders to understand the strategic priorities of the region, the culture of the organization and the capabilities the new President would need to bring.

Together, we developed a clear picture of what success looked like: a leader who could deliver the P&L, navigate a complex global matrix, champion innovation and build high-performing teams.

But experience alone would not be enough. Pentland needed someone with high emotional intelligence and low ego, able to listen and adapt, earn trust quickly and influence effectively across the organization.

Looking beyond credentials

The search was designed around the leadership challenge rather than a narrow sector profile.

We drew on our network across sports, lifestyle, fashion and wider consumer goods to identify leaders with the right combination of regional breadth, digital fluency and portfolio-company experience.

Assessing for the whole role

Candidates were assessed not only on commercial performance, but on strategic thinking, financial acumen and their ability to operate effectively within a matrix organization.

Particular attention was given to adaptability, consumer orientation, emotional intelligence and cultural sensitivity, the characteristics that would determine whether a candidate could genuinely add value within Pentland Brands.

Pentland has a complexity to the organization with matrix structures, high EQ values and strong commercial drivers. Essenta’s discovery process was able to assess individual value drivers, EQ and behaviours in relation to the unique context they were walking into at Pentland. The process was able to mitigate risk within the hire and allow for a senior executive to complement an already established management team.

This approach helped mitigate risk within the appointment, ensuring the individual would not only complement an established management team, but also bring the commercial ambition, judgement and cultural intelligence required to lead effectively across a complex region.

With the leadership profile clearly defined, Essenta conducted a targeted market search across relevant consumer sectors, looking beyond career history to understand how candidates had navigated comparable organizational complexity and delivered results through influence.

Throughout the process, we remained closely aligned with the CEO, CHRO and executive leadership team. This ensured the brief remained connected to Pentland Brands’ strategic ambitions, operating model and executive-team dynamics as the search progressed.

The successful candidate brought deep commercial experience, strategic insight and the ability to influence across markets, channels and diverse stakeholder groups. Just as importantly, they shared Pentland Brands’ commitment to high performance, developing future leaders and delivering sustained market-share growth.

Stronger regional leadership for today, with the capability to support Pentland Brands’ next phase of profitable growth.

The appointment strengthened Pentland Brands’ leadership across the UK, Europe and the Middle East & Africa, increasing its capacity to drive profitable, brand-led growth across different channels and market models.

The new President brought the commercial experience and strategic perspective required for the role, alongside the cultural sensitivity and collaborative style needed to operate effectively within the wider executive team.

For Pentland Brands, the value of the search was not simply finding someone capable of doing the job. It was appointing a leader aligned with where the organization is going, and able to help shape the culture as the business continues to evolve.